The Czech Republic has been named the least healthy country in the world, according to a new research conducted by Clinic Compare.

The clinic comparison website used three key factors to rank countries: alcohol consumption, tobacco consumption and the prevalence of obesity, using information gathered by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the CIA World Factbook and the World Lung Association.

This exposed the most unhealthy countries in the world and highlighted those whose residents needed to change their lifestyle in order to lower their risk of developing life-threatening illnesses.

According to the research, the citizens of Czech Republic ranked as some of the world’s biggest alcohol drinkers, with each individual consuming 13.7 litres of alcohol per annum (about 1.5 shots a day). They also had the 11th highest tobacco consumers. Next in line were Russia, Slovenia, Belarus, Slovakia and Hungary.

Eastern Europe came as the unhealthiest region in the world, occupying 9 out of 10 spots. The US, however, ranked 10th in a joint position with Lithuania.

The world’s fattest region was Oceania, with 41 percent of the population in Samoa having a BMI over 30. Also in the top 10 list for obesity were Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga and Fiji.

The healthiest country was Afghanistan, boasting the second lowest rate of obesity in the world, with just 2.7 percent of the population having a BMI over 30, smoking only 83 cigarettes a year and drinking the least amounts of alcohol. This was probably because of the country’s ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol.

Next on the list of healthiest countries were Guinea, Niger and Nepal.

African nations also fared well, with countries such as Malawi, Niger and Ethiopia among the 10 least unhealthy populations in the world.

The United Nations health agency has been led by the WHO to put pressure on governments around the world to work better to tackle the global health crisis.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are now the primary cause of premature deaths worldwide, killing over 36 million people each year. A large percentage of these conditions are self-inflicted, caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices such as drinking, smoking and an unbalanced diet.